'Reeeally hope not': GOP strategist on edge that Trump will praise J6 'hostages' at debate

Republican strategist Shermichael Singleton on Thursday expressed anxiety that former President Donald Trump would gush about the violent criminals who attacked the United States Capitol on his behalf.

During a panel discussion about Thursday night's presidential debate, host Kasie Hunt played a clip of Trump describing violent Capitol rioters as "hostages" who deserved to be pardoned for crimes they committed when they stormed the Capitol on January 6th, 2021.

When asked if this was the kind of rhetoric we should expect from Trump on Thursday, Singleton replied emphatically, "I reeeeally hope not."

He then elaborated.

"This election is going to be won or lost on the margins," he said. "I was on Capitol Hill on January 6th, this makes a lot of people very uncomfortable. Even many Republicans just simply do not like this. I think if you're Donald Trump, the base that may enjoy those sort of theatrics at a campaign rally, they're going to remain with Donald Trump. He needs to figure out a way to talk to the American people and acknowledge that a lot of people did a lot of despicable things on that day."

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This may be easier said than done, however, as Trump has gone so far as to call imprisoned January 6th prisoners as "warriors" during a recent rally.

"Those J6 warriors — they were warriors — but they were really, more than anything else, they're victims of what happened," he said.

Hundreds of Trump supporters have been convicted for their actions during the January 6th riots on charges ranging from illegally entering a restricted building to assaulting law enforcement officials to seditious conspiracy.

Watch the video below or at this link.

'Reeeally hope not': GOP strategist on edge that Trump will praise J6 'hostages' at debate www.youtube.com